Losers of four of their last five, St. John’s gets to escape the cold for their next game when they hit the road to take on the University of South Florida. The Red Storm have never lost to USF since the Bulls joined the Big East in 2006; but head coach Stan Heath‘s team has been deceptively competitive this season, with upset wins against Seton Hall and Rutgers, not to mention a three-point loss to Connecticut in a game that was not decided until the final seconds. It could be a trap game for the Johnnies, but JohnnyJungle.com will give you all the information you need before the opening tip.
Game Information
Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Location: Tampa Bay Times Forum; Tampa, Florida
Time: 7:00 PM EST
TV: SNY/ESPN3 (Rich Hollenberg, Bob Wenzel)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
St. John’s Red Storm (8-9, 2-4)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin* (2nd season at STJ; 29-21, 174-99 overall)
*- Assistant coach Mike Dunlap will serve as interim coach while Lavin recovers from offseason prostate cancer surgery
Projected Starting Lineup:
G Phil Greene (6-2 Fr., 5.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 29% FG, 75% FT, 2.4 APG, 1.1 SPG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 15.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 36% FG, 33% 3pt, 81% FT, 1.9 APG, 1.6 SPG)
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 7.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 44% FG, 55% FT, 1.5 APG, 1.0 BPG, 1.5 SPG)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 15.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 45% FG, 68% FT, 1.5 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.5 SPG)
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 11.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 53% FG, 72% FT)
Key Reserves:
F Amir Garrett (6-6 Fr., 3.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 38% FG, 33% 3pt, 44% FT, 1.0 APG, 1.3 SPG)
G Malik Stith (5-11 Jr., 3.0 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 40% FG, 77% FT, 1.2 APG)
Keys To Victory:
– Find a third option. The motif of the Red Storm season to this point has been this: As Moe Harkless and D’Angelo Harrison go, so too does the team. The ability to find a third option will only increase with each coming game, so it would help St. John’s to establish this factor as soon as possible. God’sgift Achiuwa has been inconsistent lately, while Sir’Dominic Pointer has done more defensively than he has on the offensive side of the ball. In addition, Phil Greene and Amir Garrett have demonstrated flashes of brilliance despite their lack of scoring at times.
– Conditioning. Easier said than done given the seven-man rotation, but Mike Dunlap has done a great job of keeping his young team fresh and avoiding fatigue with what little he has in comparison to mostly every other team in the nation. If the Red Storm can avoid the foul trouble that has plagued their go-to guys in recent games, their lineup is as good as that of a Top 25 program.
– Two point guards. In Sunday’s loss to Georgetown, D’Angelo Harrison demonstrated a surprisingly effective ability to run the point for the Red Storm’s halfcourt offense once Amir Garrett came in for starting point guard Phil Greene. Harrison’s poise at the quarterback position served the Red Storm well on their way to holding serve with the Hoyas throughout the first half. If the Texan gets more repetitions at that position, the combination of he and Greene at the point throughout the game could be as effective as the two-man operation of Scott Machado and Momo Jones that Iona has used to propel themselves to the top of the MAAC standings.
Now, here’s a little background information on the home team.
South Florida Bulls (10-8, 3-2)
Head Coach: Stan Heath (5th season at USF; 61-85, 173-162 overall)
Projected Starting Lineup:
G Anthony Collins (6-1 Fr., 6.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 48% FG, 85% FT, 5.0 APG, 2.2 SPG)
G Shaun Noriega (6-4 Jr., 4.6 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 33% FG, 36% 3pt, 85% FT)
G Hugh Robertson (6-6 Sr., 5.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 54% FG, 62% FT, 1.3 APG)
F Toarlyn Fitzpatrick (6-8 Jr., 8.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 48% FG, 43% 3pt, 63% FT, 1.2 APG)
F Augustus Gilchrist (6-10 Sr., 10.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 38% FG, 73% FT, 1.5 BPG)
Key Reserves:
G Jawanza Poland (6-4 Jr., 10.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 44% FG, 31% 3pt, 81% FT, 1.0 APG)
F Ron Anderson Jr. (6-8 Sr., 8.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 58% FG, 53% FT, 1.1 APG)
F Victor Rudd (8.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 35% FG, 73% FT, 1.3 APG)
G Blake Nash (6-0 So., 5.8 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 41% FG, 81% FT, 1.4 APG)
Keys To Victory:
– Keeping up without Mr. Jones. When I had the pleasure of talking to Stan Heath; who is without a doubt the most accessible and enjoyable coach to interview simply because of his friendly and easygoing nature, at Big East media day in October, he admitted that the hangover from losing eventual first-round NBA draft pick Dominique Jones lasted much longer than he had hoped last season. Midway through this campaign, however, that has changed. USF is once again a relevant program that is competing on a nightly basis despite not having a clear primary option. This versatility has helped Heath spread the love among an eight-man rotation that has had several opportunities to light up the box score on any given night.
– Heath hit the jackpot in AC. He’s not the type to burn you offensively, but freshman Anthony Collins has already thrown his name into consideration as one of the best point guards in the Big East. Stan Heath was continuously singing Collins’ praises before he had yet to even play a game; and the Houston native has backed it up to the tune of five assists per game, a number that should be easily attainable if St. John’s employs a zone defense, as that tactic will allow Collins to pass the ball more freely.
– Find the hot hand. This could be a number of people; starting with guard Shaun Noriega, who burned St. John’s from long range in the last meeting between the two schools last March at Carnesecca Arena. If Noriega is not firing, Toarlyn Fitzpatrick (43 percent from beyond the arc) is a likely candidate. USF has the shooters to withstand a barrage from the Red Storm; and if it turns into a duel early, the advantage rests with the Bulls simply due to their deeper bench being able to survive a 40-minute track meet.
So, Who Wins?
USF is much better than anyone gives them credit for; especially at home, where they defeated then-No. 24 Seton Hall and nearly upset UConn. St. John’s needs this game just a little more to get off the schneid they have been on since their dominating Big East opener against Providence. Common sense seems to dictate that the Red Storm will have their way with USF, but it’s not going to be a runaway. Expect USF to give St. John’s all they can handle in a matchup that will be more high-scoring than initially suspected, as well as one that the Bulls will be able to dictate the pace in. Despite being pushed to the limit, St. John’s escapes with the victory.
Final Score: In overtime, St. John’s 73, USF 68
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